I've always been a nerd.

And yeah, I just, I think a friend invited me to a con or I saw a flyer for like Emerald City

Comic-Con like years ago.

And I was like, this is a thing that people do.

Like, so, and I knew that people dressed up.

So I didn't, I didn't go and not dress up.

I, like, fully made, like, a Chewbacca, like, fur dress.

And showed up one day at a con and was like, cool, these are my people.

And, yeah, it was all downhill from there.

I'm Sarah Mnick, and this is Seamwork Radio,

where we tell stories about the surprising ways that sewing impacts our lives.

Cosplay is something that's simultaneously, deeply personal, and very social.

Introverts, extroverts, and really any combination of the two can find their space within

cosplay.

So if you aren't familiar with cosplay, it's short for costume play, and people across the world spend hours making costumes to transform into their favorite characters, from comic books, anime and movies to historical figures, mystical beasts, and even creatures of their own invention. If you know how to sew clothing, you already have a ton in common with most cosplayers. You care a lot about

self-expression. You might have a near-obsessive attention to detail. And you're part of a

worldwide community of people who just love to nerd out about their craft. But what happens to the

art of cosplay during a pandemic? When we can only see the top halves of our costumes online,

and fabric and props are hard to source.

What happens when cosplay competitions, smelly convention center food, and after parties are all

canceled? In this episode, Meg talks to six cosplayers about their sewing practice over the last

year during the pandemic. These six makers show us how clothing connects us to each other,

...